Ron's Recipes

by mkusenagi2

A listing of recipes that I've used in my stories. Now up, Ron and Betty's Mercedes menu. Thanks are due to cpneb. You TOTALLY Rock! More to come.

1. Chapter 1

Ron's Recipes

By mkusenagi2

Concept © 11-09-2006

Tian mi menu (Ron and Betty's 1st date!)

Menu: Appetizer, Chawan Mushi, Kobe Beef and Asparagus with Negimaki noodles and Sake

Meal: Miso Cod with Buttered Mushrooms

Dessert: Japanese Fruitcake

Chawan Mushi

3 teaspoons dashi no moto (instant dashi or fish-broth powder), available at Asian markets

1 teaspoon mirin (Japanese sweet wine)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

3 large eggs

1/4 cup finely diced chicken thigh

1/4 cup finely diced medium shrimp

1/4 cup finely diced shiitake mushroom caps

1 tablespoon snipped chives

How to make it…

Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil and stir in the dashi powder. Remove from the heat and add the mirin and soy sauce. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then whisk in a few tablespoons of the dashi broth to warm the eggs. Whisk in the remaining broth, then strain the mixture.

Divide the chicken, shrimp, mushrooms and chives among 4 mugs. Top with the egg mixture (to almost fill the mugs), then cover each mug tightly with plastic wrap.

Place the mugs in the bottom of a large, deep saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Pour water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the mugs, then remove the mugs.

Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to low, return the mugs to the simmering water and cover the pot. Steam the custards until set, about 45 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings (Serving size: 4 servings)

Kobe Beef and Asparagus with Negimaki noodles

Salt for water

24 thin stalks asparagus

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1 bunch scallions, greens only

1 1/2 pounds Kobe beef tenderloin

freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to make it…

Preheat a grill or grill pan until hot, or prepare oven broiler. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cut off asparagus ends to within 3 1/2 inches from tips; reserve bottoms for another use. Place tips in boiling water; cook until bright green but still crunchy, about 1 minute. Prepare an ice-water bath. Drain asparagus; transfer to an ice-water bath to stop cooking. Drain asparagus again in a colander, and set aside.

Whisk together soy sauce and sugar until dissolved; set aside. Cut scallions into 3 1/2-inch lengths, julienned lengthwise; set aside.

Slice tenderloin into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Place one slice between two pieces of plastic; pound lightly to an even thickness. Remove plastic; trim into 2-by-5-inch rectangle. Repeat with remaining beef.

Dip a piece of beef in soy-sauce mixture, and place on a clean surface. Season with pepper. Place 1 piece of scallion and 2 asparagus tips across 1 end of beef, so vegetables extend over edges; roll. Set aside. Repeat with remaining beef and vegetables.

Grill or broil negimaki, brushing with sauce and turning, until slightly charred and medium rare, about 2 minutes. Serve.

Yield: 8 servings (Serving size: 8 servings)

Miso Cod with Butter Mushrooms and Rice

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups white miso (available in some refrigerated sections and at Asian markets)

1/2 cup sake

1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet wine)

4 (6 ounce) black cod fillets (also called sablefish) or salmon fillets

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound mixed mushrooms, such as oyster and shiitake, cleaned and thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Nonstick cooking spray or olive oil

Steamed white rice

How to make it…

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the sugar, miso, sake and mirin. Bring the marinade to a boil, then remove from the heat, transfer to shallow dish and let cool completely. Add the fish, covering it with the marinade, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

In a small saucepan, bring a few cups of water to a boil. Boil the garlic for 2 minutes and drain on paper towel. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the blanched garlic in the butter until golden, 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and soy sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Cover a grill liberally with the nonstick cooking spray and heat medium-high. Grill the fish, turning once, until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with the buttered mushrooms and rice.

Yield: 4 servings (Serving size: 4 servings)

Japanese Fruit Cake

3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons dried currants

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

3 large egg whites, lightly beaten

2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

How to make it…

MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Sift the cake flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the granulated sugar at high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir the vanilla into the buttermilk. Using a large rubber spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the batter in 2 batches, alternating with the butter-milk. Scrape half of the batter into 1 of the prepared cake pans and smooth the surface.

Fold the walnuts, currants, cinnamon, allspice and cloves into the remaining half of the cake batter. Scrape the spice batter into the second cake pan and smooth the surface. Bake the cakes in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean. Transfer the cakes in their pans to wire racks and let cool for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto the racks and let cool completely. Leave the oven on.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE COCONUT FROSTING: Spread the coconut on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 inch of water to a simmer over moderate heat. In a medium stainless steel bowl, combine the egg whites with the confectioners' sugar, water and cream of tartar. Using clean beaters, beat at medium speed until blended. Set the bowl over the simmering water and beat at high speed until thick and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan and beat the vanilla and lemon zest into the frosting.

Using a serrated knife, halve each cake layer horizontally. Set 1 plain cake layer on a cake plate and spread with 1 cup of the frosting. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the toasted coconut over the frosting, then spoon 1/2 cup of the frosting around the edge and in the center of the cake. Top with a spice cake layer. Continue frosting and sprinkling with this and the remaining cake layers, alternating the plain and spice cakes. Spread the top of the cake with the remaining frosting and sprinkle with the remaining coconut. Cut into wedges and serve.

Yield: 8 servings (Serving size: 1 x - 9-inch layer cake)

Thanks to Yahoo Foods… and Grandma.